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Cape Fear (1991 film)
Cape Fear is a 1991 American psychological thriller film and remake of the 1962 film of the name directed by Martin Scorsese & written by Wesley Strick. It was released on November 13, 1991 by Universal Pictures. Plot Sam Bowden is a lawyer in the town of New Essex, North Carolina. Max Cady is a former client whom Bowden defended 14 years earlier when he was working as a public defender in Atlanta. Cady was tried for the violent rape and battery of a young woman. Sam buried evidence that might have lightened Cady's sentence or even secured his acquittal. After getting released from prison, Cady tracks down Sam. He studied law in prison and assumed his own defense and unsuccessfully appealed his conviction several times. C Several incidents involving Cady impact the Bowden family (which consists of Sam's wife Leigh and their teenage daughter Danielle). The family dog is poisoned and Cady lurks near their property. Bowden tries to have Cady arrested, but police lieutenant Elgart, says there is no evidence of a crime. At a bar, Cady meets Bowden's colleague, Lori Davis. At her house, Cady cuffs Lori's hands, breaks her arm and rapes her. Lori refuses to press charges of her attack, ashamed of what happened. Bowden hires private investigator Claude Kersek to follow Cady. Cady approaches Danielle at her school by impersonating her new drama teacher and kisses her. Sam warns Cady to leave him & his family or suffer the consequences. Cady secretly tapes the conversation with a hidden recorder. Kersek persuades Bowden to hire three men to beat Cady, but as Bowden watches from a hiding place, Cady turns the tide on his attackers and viciously beats them. Cady uses the recording of Bowden's threat and an exaggerated display of his own injuries to file for a restraining order against Bowden. Cady's new lawyer, Lee Heller, files a complaint with the North Carolina State Bar, vowing to have Bowden disbarred. Kersek reasons that Cady may try to enter the Bowden house during Sam's appearance at a bar hearing out of town. They fake Sam's departure and hide in the house, hoping that Cady will break in so that he can be shot in self-defense. Cady murders Kersek and a housekeeper before escaping. Bowden, Leigh and Danielle discover the bodies. Horrified, they flee to their houseboat, which is docked upstate along Cape Fear. Cady follows the family by tying himself to the chassis of their car. He attacks the family on the boat, beating and tying up Sam and prepares to attack Leigh & Danielle while making Bowden watch. Danielle sprays Cady with lighter fluid while he lights a cigar, engulfing him in flames and causing him to jump off the boat. However, Cady clings to a rope and pulls himself back on board. As the boat is rocked by a violent thunderstorm, a badly burned Cady confronts Bowden. The storm knocks him off his feet, allowing Bowden to gain the upper hand once the women make it to shore. Sam uses Cady's handcuffs to shackle Cady to the boat. When the boat hits a rock and is destroyed, the fight continues on shore. A raging tide carries Cady away, causing him to drown. Sam washes the blood from his hands before rejoining Leigh and Danielle. Cast *Robert De Niro as Max Cady *Nick Nolte as Sam Bowden *Jessica Lange as Leigh Bowden *Juliette Lewis as Danielle Bowden *Joe Don Baker as Claude Kersek *Robert Mitchum as Lt. Elgart *Gregory Peck as Lee Heller *Illeana Douglas as Lori Davis *Fred Dalton Thompson as Tom Broadbent Production "Cape Fear" was adapted by Wesley Strick from the original screenplay by James R. Webb, which was an adaptation from the novel "The Executioners" by John D. MacDonald. It was originally developed by Steven Spielberg, who eventually decided it was too violent and traded it to Martin Scorsese to get back "Schindler's List" (which Scorsese had decided not to make). However, Spielberg stayed on as a producer, through his Amblin Entertainment, but chose not to be credited personally on the finished film. Nick Nolte is taller than Robert De Niro, but for the movie, Nolte lost weight and De Niro developed muscles until De Niro appeared to be the stronger man. De Niro reportedly took his body fat down to 4% and also paid a doctor $20,000 to grind down his teeth for the role to give the character a more menacing look. The work of Alfred Hitchcock was also influential on the style of "Cape Fear." As with the 1962 version where director J. Lee Thompson specifically acknowledged Hitchcock's influence, strove to use Hitchcock's style and had Bernard Hermann write the score, Scorsese made his version in the Hitchcock manner, especially through the use of unusual camera angles, lighting & editing techniques. Additionally, Scorsese's version has opening credits designed by regular Hitchcock collaborator Saul Bass and the link to Hitchcock is cemented by the reuse of the original score by Bernard Herrmann, albeit reworked by Elmer Bernstein. Box Office "Cape Fear" opened at #1 at the box office, grossing $10,261,025 during its opening weekend. Domestically, it grossed $79,091,969 and $182,291,969 worldwide. Reception "Cape Fear" has an approval rating of 75% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 48 reviews with an average rating of 7.1\10. "Variety" magazine called it "smart and stylish." Desson Thomson of the Washington Post said in his review: "Martin Scorsese brings honor back to the remake. He shines up this reprise of the original with original brilliance." Roger Ebert said that the film showed Martin Scorsese as "a master of a traditional Hollywood genre." The Washington Post said: "It's a brutal, demonic film with a grip like a vise; it grabs you early, its fingers around your throat, and never lets go." Category:Films Category:American films Category:1990s films Category:Universal Pictures films Category:Remakes Category:Thriller films Category:R-rated films